Machine for surface-finishing paper



' H. P. HOWE.

MACHINE FOR SURFACE FINISHING PAPER.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

3 u ,7. mm m v 5 W 1 Q ME V a w A 1. mm v APPLICATION FILED MAY H3, 1918.

H. P. HOWE.

MACHINE FOR SURFACE FINISHING PAPER.-v

APPLICATION FILED MAYIB, 191s.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

o fizlvenzor &

y Ji'iorneys H. P. HOWE.

MACHINE FOR SURFACE FINISHING PAPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY Is. 1918.

1,394,016 I Patented 001 18-, 1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

H. P. HOWE.

' MACHINE FOR SURFACE FINISHING PAPER.

APPLICATION mm MAYI8, 1918.

1,394,016. Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

- 4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

UNITED STATES-- PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. HOWE, OF STEEP FALLS, MAINE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

EASTERN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPO- RATION' or MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR SURFACE-FINISHING- PAPER.

Application filed May 18,

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY P. Hown, a citizen of the United States, residing at Steep Falls, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Surface-FinishingPaper, of which the following is a specification.-

This invention has relation to machines for imparting a surface finish to both sides of a sheet of paper, andhas for its object to provide a machine in which the paper is automatically tempered immediately prior to being passed between the several sets of finishing rolls, and in which the roughened or pattern-marked paper is subjected to a final operation which gives to the paper a very desirable gloss or polish. Another object of the invention is so to construct the marking rolls that they are maintained in constant rolling contact, and their operation is smooth and even, notwithstanding that their peripheral faces may be grooved to receive the ends of the markers stretched circumferentially about them. Still another object of the invention is to provide for a bodily adjustment of one pair of marking rolls both toward and from, and laterally in relation to the other set, thereby to effect an accurate registration of the pattern of the markers of the second set of rolls with the pattern formed on the paper by the markers-of the first set of rolls, this being especially desirable when, the

markers are formed'to surface-finish the;

paper with predetermined lines or patterns, such as a basket weave pattern.

On the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 illustrates in side elevation. a paper-finishing machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 represents a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1 on a larger scale.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 represent-sections on the lines 4-4 5--5, and 6'6, of Fig. 3, through one set of the marker rolls. 7

Fig. 7 represents a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1, and illustrates the'construction of the tempering or -moistening rolls.

The framework' of the machine may be of any suitable or desirable form. I' have conventionally illus r ted structure com- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

1918. Serial No. 235,405.

prising side frames 10, 10, connected by cross braces 11 at convenient intervals. The top portions of said frames provide in effect a rigid support on which the several sets of rolls are mounted. At what with convenience may be termed the front end of the machine, arestandards 12 in which is trunnioned the beam or core 13 of a roll 14 of paper to be finished, and similarly at the rear end of the machine are standards 15 in which is trunnioned the beam or core 16 for the roll 17 of finished paper. Any suitable power-transmitting mechanism is employed for rotating the beam 16 to wind the finished paper thereon. Since any suitable mechanism may be employed, I have not illustrated one, although, of course, some mechanism must be utilized to effect the coiling of the paper on the beam.

Considering the several instrumentalities in the order in which they operate upon the paper, there are the moistening or tempering rolls, the two sets of marking rolls, and the polishing or glossing rolls or cylinders.

The purpose of the tempering rolls indicated at 18, 1 9, is to cause a uniform impregnation of the paper with moisture, so that not only the surfaces or facial portions but also the intermediate or body portions of the sheet will be moistened to the same extent. I therefore construct each of the rolls as follows: On solid heads or disks 20 I secure the ends of a cylinder 21 of wire cloth, such as Fourdrinier wire of sufficient strength and coarseness, and around the foraminous shell thus formed I place a layer or shoe of felt 22. A thin sheet of any soft and absorbent material may be utilized, and may be wound a number of times about the shell until a'tubular pad or shoe of the desired thickness results. Each hollow roll thus provided is mounted upon a hollow shaft 23 which is journaled at its ends in boxes or journals 24, 28. The dead end of each shaft is closed by a plug 25, and the shaft is held against'axial movement by collars 26, 27, pinned on the dead end of the shaft and the plug, to engage the ends ofjthe associated box 24. These boxes 24 and 28 are arranged in vertical guideways in brackets 29', the lower boxesrestingon the b t ns 9 iheguideways fl 9 screws 30, passed through cap plates 31 at the upper ends of the guideways, engage the boxes of the upper roll, and may be screwed in or out to increase or diminish the pressure of the rolls against the intervening sheet of paper 32 drawn from the roll 14. The open ends'of the shafts are rotatively connected with the alined ends of pipes 33 by fluid-tight couplings 34 of any suitable construction. Steam, vapor and even water is fed into the interior of the rolls through the pipes 33 and shafts 23, the latter being provided with numerous emission ports between the heads of the rolls. Of course suitable valves (not shown) are provided the desired partial embedment of the markers thereon in the tempered and softened paper and the desirable distinct impression .on the two sides of the sheet,'the rolls should bear against the paper with great pressure, andv that the pressure should be continuous. I employtwo sets of rolls provided with markers of any suitable type, such, for example, as sheets of linen, plain or pattern woven, covering the peripheral faces of the rolls. The ends of the markers terminate in depressions or grooves formed diagonally in the rolls, so that there is no break in the continuity of pressure of the rolls of each set against each other. This is one of the most desirable features of the invention, and it obviates some of the diiiiculties which have hitherto precluded the employment of cloth-covered rolls for surfacefinishing elongated single sheets of paper. That portion of the sheet which registers wlth th dlagonal grooves or depressions of the first set of rolls, and is consequently not subjected to the action of the markers thereon, registers with the markers of the second set and is operated on thereby.

The two sets of rolls are journaled in bearing frames mounted on the mainframe 34, 35, one of which is adjustable bodily toward or from the other. These two frames and the rolls carried thereby are duplicates, save 1n minor details, so that only one frame and the rolls thereon need'explicit explanation. Each bearing frame consists of'end upright standards each having a vertical guideway closed by a cap bar 36 bolted thereon. Two bearing blocks or boxes 37 38, are placed in each guideway, the former being seated in the bottom of the guideway and having journaled therein a roll shaft 39. In the blocks or boxes 38 is journaled aroll shaft 40, said blocks being pressed downwardly by screw bars 41' threaded through the cap bars 36 and having hand wheels 42. The two rolls 43, 44, which are splined on the shafts 39 and 40, arerugged in construction, being formed with heads at their ends and being hollow as shown. The hubs 45, 46, are peripherally grooved to receive yoke-sha ed arms 47,48, extending outwardly from slides 49, 50, placed in complemental undercut guideways in a block 51. The slides are adjusted independently of each other by screwrbars 52, 53, the grooved heads of which engage a plate 54 secured to the block 51. The whole'block, and therefore the two rolls in unison, may be adjusted axially by a screw bar 55 journaled in a plate 56 on one 'ofthe side standards and held against axial movement by a flange 57 and the hub of a hand wheel 58. It is evident that other suitable devices may be employed for effecting at will a simulta neous axial adjustment of the two rolls, and an axial adjustment of each roll relatively to the other.

The roll frame 35 is adjustable in relation to the frame 34. The screws 59, which secure the bases of the standards thereof to the main frame, pass through slots 60 in the top webs 61 thereof and may be driven home to secure the standards in plate after their adjustment. There are abutments 62 plvota-lly secured to the webs 61 in which are journaled screw bars 63 in threaded en gagement with bosses 64 on the bases of the side standards. The screw bars 63 have re movable handles 65. By the devices thus described, the frame 35 may be-adjusted transversely of the roll axes or each standard thereof may be independently adjusted. The several adjusting devices makeit possible to cause'a proper tracking of the paper on the rolls,- and to secure-an accurate registration of the patterns of the markers on the second set of rolls with the imprints on the paper made by the markers of the first set of rolls. 7

As has already been said,'the markers, which imprint two sides of a sheet of paper, may be made of any suitable material, and I have shown them as each consisting of a sheet of fabric such as linen. One ofthe difiioulties with the utilization of a roll having a fabric thereon is that means must .be provided for taking up slack in the fabric, due to the stretching thereof after continued operation of the machine, and the provision of some means for securingthe ends of the fabric.- It has heretofore been suggested to form theroll with a'longitudinalslot, into which the ends of the fabric may be in serted andin which may be located the takeup mechanismfor the "fabric, but, in accordance with this suggestion, the slots or depressions were parallel with the axis of the roll. Since these depressions or grooves must register as the rolls rotate, it is evident that flat places unavoidably occur in the peripheries of the rolls so that the rolls cannot exert a constant and continuous pres sure against each other. The sudden in crease and decrease of the pressure of the rolls incident to their'engagement and disengagement is injurious to the machine and to the rolls themselves. I have overcome this diiricultv in the present machine by forming the rolls with slots, grooves or de pressions which are not parallel with the axes of the rolls but which are diagonal and therefore an inclination in respect of the axes.

By examining Figs. 3, 4E and 5, it will be seen that each of the rolls is provided with an elongated peripheral depressiom'slot or groove 65, which, as shown in Fig. 4t, is diagonal. The ends of the markers 66, which cover the operative faces of the rolls, are passed into these grooves or depressions and are preferably secured together by stitches or otherwise so as to form a loop 67. The mouths of the depressions are relatively narrow, as shown, the outer corners of the walls of the groove being rounded to prevent injury to the fabric. Placed in each groove or depression and engaging the loop of the marker, there is a take-up bar 68, the ends of which are grooved to be engaged by angle levers 69 pivoted at 70 on the outside facial portions of the heads of the rolls. The free end of each lever is drawn yieldingly toward the center of the roll by a tension spring 71, having one end hooked to a pin 72 inserted in the head and the other end engaged with an eye-bolt 73 screwed into the end of'the lever and having a locking nut 74. thereon. Springs of the "proper strength are utilized to draw the take-up bar inwardly from the periphery of the rolls, yieldingly but with sufiicient force to keep the markers taut about the rolls. If course in setting up the machine, it will be understood that the two depressions or slots of the two rolls of one set must be brought to register accurately, and that the inclination of the slots must be such that the rolls will be in constant peripheral engagement with each other or with the web or" paper which is passed between them. This is accom plished, of course, by having the ends of the slot in planes radial of the axis of the roll and forming an angle to each other. The two sets of rolls likewise should be rotatively adjusted in reference to each other so that the grooves of the second roll will not register with the unimprinted portions of the sheet left by the grooves of the first set of rolls. In practice, the web 32 of paper,-

after having been drawn between the moistening rolls, is carr ed upwardly and, over the upper roll of the first set, thence between thcm and under the second roll, thence over and under the upper roll of the second set and under the roll of said second set, where, if desired, it may be then carried t he beam 16. Of course the rolls of each pair must r tate in synchronism, and consequently T have provided them with intermeshing gears 7 5, 76, which are keyed thereon and the teeth of which may be conjugate to prevent lost motion. The shafts 39 of the two lower rolls are provided with belt pulleys 77 on which tracks a belt 78 to cause all or" the rolls to rotate in synchronism. Any other power transmission, however may be utilized for causing the rolls all to rotate synchronously. For the purpose of initially imparting power to the rolls, 1 utilize a main driving shaft 79. having a belt pulley 80, which through belt 81 drives a pulley 82 on the shaft 39 of the first set of rolls.

After the web of paper has received the 'mprint of the markers, it is desirable at times to impart a further polish or gloss to the two sides of the sheets of paper, and, for accomplishing this purpose, I employ a pair of smooth calenders or cylindrical rolls 83 which are formed of copper or other suitable material. and the shafts 84, 85, of which are journaled in boxes arranged in vertical guideways in the bearing brackets 86 bolted to the end standards of the frame 35. The

; he lower roll rest upon the bottom of the guideways, whereas the boxes for the per rolls may be adjusted by screws 87 having hand wheels 88. The shafts S4, 85, have er-meshing gears 89 and 90, the former intermeshing with an idler gear 91. in turn meshing with the upper gear ot the adjacent set of imprinting rolls. It will be understood that the teeth of the several sets of intermeshing gears are long enou h to permit the necessary adjustment of an? rolls one toward and from the other. The calender rolls, because of the arrangement of gearing shown, rotate at their points of contact with the web of paper between them in the direction of the travel of the paper. After leaving the lower roll of the second set, the web 32- of paper travels over and under the upper calender roll, and down and under the second calender, and thence passes to the beam 16 so that it may be wound into the roll 17.

It will be quite evident to those skilled in the art, to whom this specification is addressed, that various changes may be made in the construction which I have herein described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed. in the claims.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and described away of making and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes" of its use, what I claim is:

l. A machine for surface-finishing a paper web on both sides, comprising complemental cylindrical rolls between which the paper is passed, marking sheets surrounding said rolls, mechanism for rotating said rolls synchronously in relatively opposite directions, and means for pressing said rolls together, the pressure between the rolls being sup ported wholly by their adjacent surfaces, and the rolls having surface depressions registering with one another to receive the ends of the markers; said depressions being diagonally arranged, whereby when they. pass the line of roll tangency the continuity of pressure remains unbroken.

2. A machine for surfacefinishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising a pair of rolls in continuous rolling contact, means for rotating said rolls in synchronism, markers encircling the operative peripheral faces of the rolls, said rolls having registering diagonal depressions into which the ends of the markers are inserted, and take-ups for said markers located in said depressions.

8. A machine for surface-finishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising a pair of rolls in continuous rolling contact, one of said rolls having a diagonal depression, a covering therefor having its ends terminating in said depression, and a spring tensioned take-up for said covering, located in said depression and adapted automatically to take up slack in said covering.

4. A machine for surface-finishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising a pair of rolls in continuous rolling contact, said rolls having registering diagonal depressions, a flexible covering on said roll and formed with a loop extending within said depression, a bar in said depression engaged with said loop, and spring-tensioned levers supported by said roll and engaging said bar for keeping the flexible cover taut about the roll. I

5. A machine for surface-finishing paper having a roll, a marking sheet surrounding said roll and joined together at its ends, the roll having a groove in its surface into which the united ends of the sheet enter, a bar in said depression under which the sheet passes, and resilient levers pivoted on the ends of the roll and engaging said bar adj acent tothe ends thereof and springs engaged with said levers to force the bar toward the I the markers are inserted, a second pair of like rolls and like markers for imprinting the same Web of paper imprinted by the first pair of rolls, and whose axes are in a plane parallel to the plane of the axes of the first pair of rolls, and means for adjusting the second pair of rolls and its markers toward and from the first pair of rolls and its markers.

7. A machine for surface-finishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising rolls having individual markers for simultaneously operating on both sides of said sheet, and a pair of rolls between whichthe paper passes for tempering the paper prior to its delivery to said first-mentioned rolls, said tempering rolls having absorbent peripheral portions and means for delivering moisture into the interior of said rolls.

In testimony whereof Ihave afiixed my signature.

HENRY P. HOWE. 

